Key-operated non-drip valve



United States Patent O 3,340,891 KEY-GPERATED NON-DRIP VALVE Jesus de la Garza, 1116 N. Ditman Ave.,

Los Angeles, Calif. 90063 Filed May 12, 1966, Ser. No. 549,563 12 Claims. (Cl. IS7-384.2)

This application comprises a continuation-in-part of my originally co-pending parent application for a Non-Drip Faucet Valve, Ser. No. 333,992, which, on Oct. 18, 1966, issued as U.S. Patent No. 3,279,743.

The present invention relates generally to the valve art and, more particularly, to a novel key-operated non-drip faucet valve primarily adapted for use in a faucet valve housing whereby to control the outflow of water (or any other liquid or fluid) from an outlet, nozzle, or spout connected thereto.

The novel key-operated non-drip valve of the present invention may provide the non-drip feature thereof in any of a variety of ways and, broadly speaking, this may take the form of a self-compensating valve means positioned in a valve recess effectively between a valve-actuating member and a valve seat means and effectively operable in response to advancing movement of the valve-actuating member toward the valve seat means beyond a predetermined point to bring about sealing engagement of the self-compensating valve means with the valve seat means and operable in response to retracting movement of said valve-actuating member away from said valve seat means beyond a predetermined point to effectively cause said self-compensating valve means to become sealingly disengaged from said valve seat means. In other Words, virtually any type of self-compensating valve means which merely requires that a valve-actuating member be moved into a general region which may be called a valve closure region to bring about a positive and self-compensating sealing closure of the valve means with respect to the valve seat means and which may be moved outwardly therefrom into a general region which may be called a valveopening region and which, as a result thereof, will effectively cause the self-compensating valve means to be positively opened with respect to the valve seat means, may be employed.

The important point to note is that the valve-actuating member does not have to bring about the complete movement of the self-compensating valve means both during Valve closure and valve opening, this being effected as a result of the self-compensating feature if the valve-actuating member has moved into the general valve-closing region or into the general valve-opening region referred to above.

The self-compensating valve means referred to above, in certain forms of the invention may comprise a fluidpressure-expandable valve means operable for the purposes outlined in the preceding paragraph and for purposes of illustration, which is not to be construed in a specifically limiting manner, said fluid-pressure-expandable valve means will be specifically described hereinafter in one exemplary form thereof as set forth hereinafter.

The non-drip feature of the novel faucet valve of the present invention is provided by a novel type of fluidpressure-expandable valve means carried by a valve-actuating member between said valve-actuating member and a valve seat means and arranged to be in interior communication with pressurized water (or any other pressurized liquid or fluid) whereby to automatically expand said lluid-pressure-expandable valve means in a space defined between said valve-actuating member and said valve seat means and to sealingly engage a sealing portion of said valve seat means in a manner preventing outflow of water (or any other liquid or fluid) past the sealingly ICC engaged fluid-pressure-expandable valve means and the sealing portion of said valve seat means whenever the valve-actuating member is within a predetermined distance of said valve seat means.

The above-described arrangement compensates for the customary valve leakage which occurs in conventional hot water faucet valves (or valves for other hot liquids or fluids) because of contraction of various parts of the valve and actuating means from their sealing relationships when initially closed after a flow of hot water (or other liquid) has passed through the valve. This normally occurs in prior art faucet valves as a result of cooling of said parts of the valve and the actuating means therefor. However, such leakage will not occur in the novel valve as the iluid-pressure-expandable valve means will maintain an effective sealing engagement of the valve means with respect to the sealing portion of the valve seat means even after such cooling of the water (or other liquid or fluid), the valve seat means, the valve means, and the valve-actuating member occurs in the device of the present invention when used as a hot water faucet valve (or valve for other hot liquids or fluids). However, whenever the valve-actuating member is moved beyond a predetermined distance from the valve seat means, a novel bypass means effectively communicates the pressurized interior of the fluid-pressure-expandable valve means with an. outlet pipe, nozzle, or spout whereby to allow egress of the pressurized water (or other liquid or fluid) from the interior of said fluid-pressure-expandable valve means so that the greater inlet pressure of the water (or other liquid or fluid) against the outside or the upstream side of said fluid-pressure-expandable valve means will effectively collapse said fluid-pressure-expandable valve means and will move one movable portion thereof away from the sealing portion of the valve seat means in a manner such as to allow controlled egress of Water (or other liquid or fluid) past the collapsed fluid-pressure-expandable valve means and the valve seat means into the outlet pipe, nozzle, or spout.

The key-operation feature of the invention is accomplished by employing a lock cylinder effectively coupled with respect to the previously-mentioned valve-actuating member and adapted to be operated only in response t0 the insertion of an appropriate key into the key `slot of the lock cylinder (or by achieving a correct combination with a selector knob, or the like, in a combination type lock) so that movement of the valve-actuating member in either a valve-closing or a valve-opening manner may be effected. Without the appropriate key (or correct combination), it will be impossible to move the valve-actuating member and thus impossible to effect any adjustment or alteration of the previous setting or adjustment of the valve. This is highly advantageous since there are a large number of instances where a valve is desirably tamper-proof and nonoperable except by authorized personnel.

In one preferred form of the invention, the key-operated lock cylinder referred to above may comprise a rotatable plug lock cylinder mounted in a non-rotatable plug lock cylinder housing afllxed to a housing carrying the valve means, and the plug lock cylinder may be threadedly engaged within the plug lock cylinder housing and normally locked in a non-rotatable manner therein by nor- -mally projecting tumbler means of the plug lock cylinder means, which are received in cor-responding locking slot means and which, therefore, prevent any rotation of the plug lock cylinder until an appropriate key is inserted into the key Islot thereof, which causes retraction of the projecting tumbler means so as to free the plug lock cylinder for rotation within the plug lock cylinder housing. This of course will correspondingly allow the coupled valveactuating member to also be rotated when the plug lock cylinder is rotated by the key in the key slot thereof. This will cause threaded advancement or retraction of the plug lock cylinder with respect to the plug lock cylinder housing and correspondingly will cause advancement or ret-raction of the previously-mentioned valve-actuating member for effectively closing the non-drip valve or opening same depending upon which direction the key inserted in the key slot is rotated. Upon removal of the key from the key slot, it will no longer -be possible to rotate the plug lock cylinder and, therefore, the valve-actuating member will be locked in whatever position it had been previously adjusted into.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel key-operated nondrip faucet valve of the type referred to above, which will effectively maintain a non-leaking closed and sealed relationship of the fluid-pressure-expandable valve means with respect to the valve seat means irrespective of temperature and/ or pressure changes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel non-drip faucet valve of the character referred to above, which includes a fluid-pressure-expandable valve means arranged, whenever the valve-actuating member is in one position which may be termed a closed position, to be fully expanded by interior water, liquid, or fluid under pressure whereby to seal off the sealing portion of the valve seat means and arranged, whenever the valve-actuating member is in another position, which may be termed an open position, to become effectively collapsed whereby to effectively unseat a movable elastomeric piston portion of said fluid-pressure-expandable valve means from the valve seat means to allow the free substantially unimpeded passage of water or other liquid or iiuid through said valve seat means to an outlet pipe, nozzle, or spout.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel non-drip valve of the type -referred to hereinbefore which can be used wherever such a non-leaking valve would be advantageous and which is not specifically limited to a faucet valve, although this is one exemplary and highly advantageous application of the improved nondrip valve of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel non-drip valve of the character referred to above, embodying any or all of the various features thereof referred to above, either generically or specifically, and either individually or in combination, whereby to provide a valve having the advantages referred to above and which is of extremely simple, inexpensive, foolproof and longlasting construction such as to be conducive to the mass manufacture, distribution, and widespread use thereof.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows hereinafter (which is to be construed as exemplary only, and not as specifically limiting the invention), and such objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the accompanying drawing and the detailed description which follows hereinafter.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, one exemplary embodiment is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and is described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective View illustrating the various elements of one exemplary embodiment of the invention in vertically exploded relationship.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partially broken away, vertical sectional view, taken on a substantially central vertical plane, of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention of FIG. l and shows the interior details of one form of the valve seat means, the fiuid-pressure-expandable valve means, the valve-actuating member, the communication means for providing fluid under pressure for expanding said uid-pressure-expandable valve means, and the by-'pass means for allowing egress of said pressurized uid from within said fluid-pressureexpandable valve means when said valve-actuating member is moved away from said valve seat means to a valveopen position. In this view, all of the elements illustrated are in a valve-closed relationship whereby to prevent the pressurized flow of water (or other liquid or fiuid) from the inlet conduit or pipe to the outlet conduit pipe, nozzle or spout.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view generally similar to FIG. 2 but illustrates the apparatus after the valve-actuating member has been operated in a manner such as to be moved to a valve-open position whereby to effectively collapse the fiuid-pressure-expandable valve means and whereby to cause the elastomeric piston portion thereof to be moved by inlet water pressure away from the valve seat means so as to effectively place the entire valve structure in valve-open relationship allowing the pressurized flow of water (or other liquid or fluid) from the inlet conduit or pipe to the outlet conduit, pipe, nozzle or spout.

FIG. 4 is a reduced-size, fragmentary sectional view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of just the plug lock cylinder and plug lock cylinder housing showing the retraction of the tumbler means when the key is inserted into the key slot of the plug lock cylinder so as to rotatively free the plug lock cylinder for threaded rotation 1n either direction in the plug lock cylinder housing.

Referring to the figures for illustrative purposes, one exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown wherein it takes a typical exemplary form comprising a hollow valve housing means, indicated generally at 20, including a substantially cylindrical upstanding hollow valve housing body portion 22, which is provided with a hollow interior chamber 24 which has an open top 26 adapted to be closed by a closure cap means 28. The closure cap means 28 may be threadedly engaged with the exterior of the valve housing body portion or member 22 in the region indicated at 30 or may be otherwise afiixed with respect thereto. The cap member 28 of the hollow valve housing 20, in the specific example illustrated, is provided with an upwardly directed exit aperture A, the purpose of which will `be described in detail hereinafter.

The lower end of the hollow valve housing means 20 is provided with apertured valve seat means, indicated generally at 32, which comprises a transverse disk-like member 34 carried across the bottom end of the hollow valve housing body portion 212 of the valve housing means 20 and across the upper end of the inlet conduit or pipe means 36. Said transverse disk-like member 34 is provided with a central inlet aperture means 38 communicating an inflow portion 40 of the valve seat means 32 with the pressurized fluid (usually water) in the inlet pipe or conduit means 36.

Said valve seat means 32 is provided with an outfiow portion 42 communicable with the outlet pipe or conduit means 44, and is additionally provided with an in.- tervening sealing portion comprising an annular .sealing ridge or bead meansl 46 between said infiow portion 40 and said outflow portion 42.

The hollow valve housing means 22 carries in the upper portion thereof within the side wall portion 48 thereof defining said interior chamber 24, a controllably movable valve-actuating member 50 which has an exteriorly cylindrical portion 52 which closely fits the inside of the corresponding cylindrical side wall 48 of the part -of the housing 22 defining the cylindrical interior chamber 24 in a manner allowing said valve-actuating member 50 to be controllably rotatably and/or axially movable within said -chamber 24 by means which will be described hereinafter.

It should be noted that the valve-actuating member 50 is effectively provided with a Irotatable plug lock cylinder, generally designated at 54, which is rotatably mounted in a non-rotatable plug lock cylinder housing 56 which is effectively affixed to and comprises a unitary part of the valve housing means 22. The plug lock cylinder S4 is provided with exterior threads which, in the example illustrated, comprise square threads 58 of the so-called Acme type, and it should further be noted that the interior of the plug lock cylinder housing 56 is provided with mating interior threads 60 of the same type cooperable with the exterior threads 58 so that rotation of the plug lock cylinder 54 in one direction will advance it downwardly within the plug lock cylinder housing 56, while rotation of the plug lock cylinder 54 in the opposite direction will retract it or cause it to move upwardly relative to the plug lock cylinder housing 56. The upward and downward movement of the plug lock cylinder 54 referred to above will correspondingly move the previously-mentioned valve-actuating member 50 either toward or away from the valve seat means 32 and in spaced opposition with respect thereto, whereby to deline therebetween a valve recess, such as that indicated at 62, as best shown in FIG. 3.

The plug lock cylinder 54 is axially provided with a key slot 64 adapted to removably receive a key 66 therein in the manner best shown in FIG. 4 and is laterally peripherally provided with normally outwardly spring biased lock tumbler means 68 which extend beyond the circumference of the remainder of the plug lock cylinder 54 except when the key 66 is inserted in the key slot 64, as best shown in FIG. 4.

The normally outwardly projecting tumbler means 68 are normally mounted in correspondingly positioned locktumbler-receiving, radially outwardly projecting, locking slot means 70 vertically carried on the inside surface of the plug lock cylinder housing 56 so that normally the plug lock cylinder 54 will be locked in a particular position within the plug lock cylinder housing 56 and this will correspondingly lock the coupled valve-actuating member 50 until such time as the key 66 is inserted in the key slot 64, as 4best shown in FIG. 4, and is rotated in either a threaded advancement direction or a threaded retraction direction which will correspondingly advance or retract both the plug lock cylinder 54 and the valveactuating membe-r 50 for valve-closing and valve-opening purposes.

The plug lock cylinder 54 may be coupled to the valveactuating member 50 in a great variety of dilerent ways. In the exemplary form of the invention illustrated, this is accomplished by having the plug lock cylinder 54 nonintegral with respect to the valve-actuating member 50 (although, in other forms of the invention, they may be integral), and said valve-actuating member 5t) and plug lock cylinder 54 are effectively provided with coupling means, such as is generally designated at 72, for rotatively locking them together in au effectively unitary manner. In the exemplary form illustrated, said coupling means 72 comprises an extended stem portion 74 integrally carried by the valve-actuating member 50 and provided with non-rotative key -means 76 at, o-r adjacent to, the top end thereof and adapted to be received by the correspondingly-keyed female receiving recess means 7.8 carried at the bottom end of the plug lock cylinder 54. In the example illustrated, said two keyed portions 76 and 78 are shown as being of substantially square shape. However, they may be of any non-round, splined shape, or other shape which effectively non-rotatively couples them together.

The previously-mentioned exit aperture A lies at the bottom of the plug lock cylinder housing 56 and comprises a part of the previously-mentioned cap member 28 and may be provided with appropriate O-ring or other type of sealing means, if desired.

The plug lock cylinder 54 is retained within the plug lock cylinder housing 56 against inadvertent removal from the housing 56 by a retaining ring 57 which is exteriorly threaded and which is adapted to be screwed into the interior threads 60 by means of the slots 59 in a position overlying the recessed upper end of the plug lock cylinder 54. This provides a positive stop for upward or retraction movement of the plug lock cylinder and prevents its from being inadvertently completely disengaged from the interior threads 60 of the plug lock cylinder housing 56. The threaded advancement movement of the plug lock cylinder housing 54 is limited by reason of the fact that the cylindrical skirt or first valve portion 82 will strike the upper surface of the disk-like member 34 at the bottom of the recess 62 and additionally it should be noted that the head of the key 66 may be of a width such as to make it impossible to insert it downwardly into the interior of the plug lock cylinder housing 56 beyond a predetermined extent, thus preventing any further advancement ofthe plug lock cylinder 54.

It should be noted that the locking slots 70 in the plug lock cylinder housing 56 `may be two in number and spaced apart 180 degrees or may be four in number and spaced apart 9.0 degrees, or any other number of opposed slots 70 spaced apart any desired number of degrees may be employed, and this determines the amount of rotative adjustment of the plug lock cylinder 54 which must be effected by the key 66 between successive positions where the key 66 can be removed from the key slot 64.

The valve recess 62 is provided with iluid-pressureexpandable valve means, indicated generally at 80, having a rst portion 82, comprising a hollow cylinder portion carried by the bottom end of the valve-actuating member Si), and having a second or lower portion comprising a piston 84 slidably lcarried by said cylinder portion 82 and abuttable with the valve seat means 32 when in valveclosed relationship.

In the exemplary form of the invention illustrated, said rst valve portion 82, as mentioned above, comprises a hollow cylinder having one end 86 sealingly carried by the bottom end of said valve-actuating member 50 as indicated by the sealing fastening junction 87,

which may comp-rise any desired type of mechanical fasi tener which will provide an effective seal or which may comprise welding, brazing or junction by caulking or mastic material or the like.

Also, in the exemplary form illustrated, said hollow cylinder comprising said first valve portion 82 extends downwardly from the valve-actuating member 50 toward the valve seat means 32 and has an open terminal or lbottom end 88 remote from the valve-actuating member 50 and normally adja-cent to said valve seat means 32.

Also, in the exemplary form of the invention illustrated, said second valve portion 84, as mentioned above, comprises a piston portion which includes a circular diskshaped rigid inner core 84C covered by a circular diskshaped outer elastomeric portion 84E whereby to etectively comprise an elastomeric circular disk-shaped piston portion which is generally designated by the reference numeral 84 and which is telescopically slidably and sealingly mounted within said hollow cylinder comprising said rst valve portion 82 and which defines therewith a hollow interior expansion chamber 90 within said uid-pressure-expandable valve means, indicated generally at said hollow interior expansion chamber 90 being of variable volume depending upon the vertical position of the second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston 84 relative to said hollow cylinder comprising said rst valve portion 82.

The invention also includes by-pass means delining communication passage means positioned for interior communication with said hollow interior expansion chamber within said uid-pressure-expandable valve means 80 when the valve-actuating member 50 is moved away from the valve seat means 32 beyond a predetermined distance so as to be in what might be termed a valve-open relationship, thus allowing pressurized fluid within the expansion chamber 90 to escape, which will allow inlet fluid pressure to force said elastomeric piston portion comprising said second valve portion 84 to be slidably asiassi telescopically and sealingly moved away from the valve seat means 32 toward the valve-actuating member 50 into a valve-open relationship such as is clearly shown in FIG. 3.

i Said by-pass means is generally designated by the reference numeral 92 and is normally closed when the valve-actuating member 50 is within a predetermined distance of the valve seat means 32, which might be termed valve-closed relationship of position, such as is clearly shown in FIG, 2.

Said by-pass means 92 comprises and defines communication passage means, indicated generally at 94, and carried by the valve-actuating member 50, and provided with an egress aperture means 96 and an outflow passage 98 communicating with the outilow pipe or spigot 44.

Said by-pass means 92 also includes a rod 100 mounted within the expansion chamber 90 and extending upwardly thereacross toward the valve-actuating member 50 and into said egress aperture means 96 of said valve actuating member 50. In the exemplary form illustrated, said rod 100 actually has its lower end integrally carried by said interior metal disk-like core 84C of said elastomeric circular disk-shaped piston portion comprising said second valve portion 84 and extends upwardly therefrom toward said valve-actuating member 50 and into said egress aperture means 96 in a manner somewhat similar to the cooperative relationship of a needle valve structure or other functional equivalent. In other words, the arrangement is such that the upper end of the rod 100, which eltectively comprises a reduced-size by-pass portion by reason of the bevel 101, cooperates with the tapered or flared egress aperture means 96 so as to effectively comprise a variable orifice, dump, or by-pass valve means which will be varied from completely closed to completely open by very slight downward vertical reciprocation `of the upper end of the rod 100 relative to the tapered or flare/d egress aperture means 96-the fully closed relationship of said elements being clearly shown in FIG. 2 and the fully open relationship thereof being clearly shown in FIG. 3.

It Will readily be understood that normally when the apparatus is in valve-closed position or relationship as clearly shown in FIG. 2, pressurized inlet water is in communication, through the inlet aperture means 38, with the inow portion 40 of the valve seat means 32 and also is in interior communication with the hollow interior valve expansion chamber 90 through the communication means comprising the aperture 102 in said second valve portion, comprising said piston 84, and in said rod 100; said aperture 102 being substantially smaller in effective cross-sectional area than the effective cross-sectional area of said egress aperture means 96 (and, also, passage 98) when in fully open relationship as shown in FIG. 3.

Thus, the pressure within the valve expansion chamber 90` acting against the valve-closing area 104` produces a greater net valve-closing force across the piston 84 than the valve-opening force produced by the inlet water pressure acting against the smaller area valve-opening surface 106. This electively causes the second valve portion, comprising the elastomeric piston 84, to sealingly engage the sealing ridge or bead means 46 and to maintain the valve apparatus in closed relationship whenever the valve-actuating member 50 is within a predetermined distance of the valve seat means 32 in the manner clearly illustrated in FIG. 2.

However, when said valve-actuating member 50 is moved upwardly away from the valve seat means 32 beyond said predetermined distance and into a valve-open position such as is clearly shown in FIG. 3, the by-pass means 92 Iallows the interior water pressure within the lvalve expansion chamber 90 to escape through the egress aperture means 96 and outflow passage, groove, or channel 98, to the outlet pipe or conduit 44. This allows the vgreater inlet water pressure acting against the bottom surface of the elastomeric piston portion comprising the second valve portion 84 to electively slidably telescopically move same upwardly relative to the hollow cylinder comprising the lirst valve portion 82 whereby to effectively collapse the lluid-pressure-expandable valve means ina manner such as to allow a substantial flow of pressurized water through the inlet aperture means 38, the inflow portion 40, over the now disengaged sealing ridge or bead means 46, and through the outflow portion 42 and into the outlet pipe or conduit means 44.

It should be noted that the structure of the apparatus is such that progressive upward movement of the valveactuating member 50 effectively increases the size of the through-opening between the inlet pipe 36 and the outlet pipe 44 whereby to correspondingly vary the ow of Water (or other liquid or fluid medium) therethrough.

It should be noted that the reference, either directly or by implication, throughout this specication and the appended claims, to expansion and contraction of the uid-pressure-expandable valve means, generally designated at 80 in the ligures of the drawing, is not to be construed as directly relating to a comparison of the volume of the expandable chamber as shown when the apparatus is in the Valve-closed position in FIG. 2 and as shown when the apparatus is in the valve-open position in FIG. 3. In other words, it will be noted that the volume of said expansion chamber 90 is actually larger when the apparatus is in the valve-open relationship shown in FIG. 3 than when the apparatus is in the valve-closed relationship shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, it might superfcially appear that the uid-pressure-expandable valve means 80 has been effectively expanded from the valve-closed relationship of the parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in order to achieve the valve-open relationship of the parts shown in FIG. 3, and it might also superlicially seem that said expansion chamber 90 has been effectively collapsed from the valve-open relationship of the parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 in order to achieve the valve-closed relationship of the parts shown in FIG. 2. However, this is not the expansion and contraction which lies at the heart of the inventive concept of said fluid-pressureexpand-able valve means 80, which is precisely opposite to the superficial enlargement and reduction of the size of the variable volume interior chamber 90 referred to above.

In other words, the uid-pressure-expansion of the fluidpressure-expandable valve means S0 Vreferred to throughout this specilication and claims, occurs when the various elements of the apparatus are moved from the Valve-open relationship shown in FIG. 3 into the valve-closed relationship shown in FIG. 2, and actually occurs just at the end of this valve-closing operation when the downwardly advanced valve-actuating member 50 reaches a position where the egress aperture means 96 carried therein begins to be closed off by engagement with the tapered upper end 101 of the rod 100'. When this occurs, the expansion chamber 90, which prior to this movement has had a low pressure therein, now begins to build up interior pressure by reason of the controlled entry of high pressure inlet water through the communication passage 102 from the aperture 38 of the valve seat means 32 and the high pressure inlet water pipe 36. This build-up of interior pressure within the expansion chamber 90 at just about the end of the valve-closing operation, eiected by threadedly advancing the plug lock cylinder 54 and the coupled valve-actuating member 50 downwardly, causes a small degree of positive expansion of the expansion chamber 90 and causes the elastomeric piston 84 to move downwardly a small distance, so as to provide an extremely irm and positive sealing engagement of the bottom portion of the elastomeric material 84E of said piston 84 with the sealing ridge 46-perhaps even to a -degree such as to slightly compress said elastomeric rubber portion 84E of said piston 84. It is this small expansion at the end of the valve-closing operation which is referred to throughout the specication and claims and, conversely, the contraction of said tEluid-pressure-expandable valve means 80 referred to asziasai 9 throughout the specification and claims, occurs at almost the end of the valve-opening operation which is effected by threadedly retracting the plug lock cylinder 54 and the coupled valve-actuating member 50 upwardly from the valveclosed position of the elements of the invention as shown in FIG. 2. During the rst portion of this operation it will be understood that the volume of the expansion chamber 90 will actually increase since the piston portion 84 will remain in the closed sealed relationship shown in FIG. 2 despite the fact that the valve-actuating member 50 and the cylinder 82 move upwardly. This is so because the interior of the expansion chamber 90 contains relatively high pressure water. However, as soon as the valve-actuating member 50 has moved upwardly sufficiently to cau-se the egress aperture means 96 to begin to open, the high pressure water within the expansion chamber 90 will begin to bleed out through said egress aperture means 96 to a degree greater than the inflow of high pressure water through the communication passage means 102 and the pressure within the expansion chamber 90 will drop, which will allow the high pressure inlet water of the inlet aperture 38 of the valve seat means 32 to move the elastomeric piston 84 upwardly a small distance until the outflow from the expansion chamber 90 through the egress means 96 and the inflow into the expansion chamber 90 from the communication passage means 102 are in balance. It is during thi-s short period of time that it can be said that the volume of the expansion chamber 33 has effectively contracted by a small amount.

The important aspect of the present invention comprises the small magnitude expansion feature mentioned above which brings 4about a very firm and positive `seating of the bottom of the elastomeric piston 84 on the sealing ridge 46 at the conclu-sion of the valve-closing operation.

The above definition of what is meant by the terms expansion and contraction of the fiuid-pressureexpandable valve -means 80, insofar as they pertain to the exemplary form of the invention illustrated is applicable to, and to be understood as comprising the meaning of, such terms, or any related terms, throughout the specification and appended claims, although not specifically limited thereto.

It should be noted that the device of the present invention is particularly well adapted for faucet valves, but is not specifically so limited. Indeed, it may be employed for any valve where the highly advantageous non-drip feature of the present invention is desired. Furthermore, the relative positioning and configuration of inlet and outlet conduit means and the orientation of the various elements of the valve means, valve seat means, and valve-actuating member, key-operated (or combination-lock-operated) lock cylinder, etc., may be modified substantially within the basic spirit and scope of the present invention. Additionally, the by-pass means and/or the communication means may be modified to a considerable extent within the broad scope of the present invention, both vas to conguration and as to mounting.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A plug-lock-cylinder-operated non-drip valve, comprising: a hollow valve housing means having inlet means and outlet means connected thereto and having a substantially cylindrical interior chamber therein provided with and controllably rotatably and `axially mov-ably receiving a controllably movable valve-actuating member having a substantially exteriorly cylindrical portion closely fitting the inside of a corresponding side wall portion of said substantially cylindrical interior chamber, said valveactuating member being effectively provided with a rotatable plug lock cylinder and non-rotatable plug lock cylinder housing effectively fixed to and comprising an effectively unitary part of said valve housing means, with the exterior of said plug lock cylinder being provided with threads and with the interior of said plug lock cylinder housing being provided with mating threads threadedly cooperable for inwardly and outwardly advancing and retracting said plug lock cylinder and said movable valveactuating member in response to relative rotation of said plug lock cylinder within lsaid plug lock cylinder housing in a corresponding advancement rotational direction or retraction rotational direction, said plug lock cylinder being provided with normally outwardly extended lock tumbler means, and said plug lock cylinder housing being interiorly provided with correspondingly positioned locktumbler-receiving locking slot means normally adapted to receive said tumbler means when normally outwardly extended from said plug lock cylinder in a manner lock-ing said plug lock cylinder against rotation, said plug lock cylinder being effectively provided with means for use in causing the effective retraction of said lock tumbler means from said extended relationship thereof whereby to rotatively free s-aid plug lock cylinder; effectively apertured valve seat means positioned in spaced opposition to said valveactuating member and defining therebetween a valve recess, said valve seat means including an inflow portion in effective communication with said inlet means, an outflow portion for communication with said outlet means, and intervening sealing means between Isaid inflow and outflow portions; and self-compensating valve means mounted in said valve recess effectively between said valveactuating member and said valve seat means and having a first portion effectively operable by said valve-actuating member and a second self-compensating self-adjusting sealing portion positionable adjacent to said valve seat means and being forcibly sealingly abuttable with said sealing means in response to advancement movement of said valve-actuating member toward said valve seat means beyond a predetermined point and being sealingly disengageable from said sealing means in response to retraction movement of said valve-actuating member away from said valve seat means beyond a predetermined point.

2. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 1, wherein said lock tumbler means are radially outwardly spring biased and wherein said lock-tumbler-receiving slot means are carried by the interior of said plug lock cylinder housing in corresponding radially outwardly extending locking positions adapted to normally receive said radially outwardly directed lock tumbler means when projecting laterally from the peripheral exterior of the plug lock cylinder in a manner locking same against rotation, said means for causing effective retraction of said lock tumbler means comprising a key slot axially provided in and carried by said plug lock cylinder and adapted to removably receive a key therein and having inner portions of said lock tumbler means inwardly positioned in laterally displaceable relationship relative to said key slot for lateral retraction of said extended tumbler means in response to insertion of a key into said key slot whereby to rotatively free said plug lock cylinder.

3. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 2, wherein said self-compensating valve means comprises a fiuid-pressure-expandable valve means mounted in said valve recess between said valve-actuating member and said valve seat means and wherein said first portion thereof is effectively abuttable with said valve-actuating member and said second portion thereof effectively defines with said first portion a hollow interior expansion chamber within said valve means provided with communication means in communication with said effectively apertured valve seat means, said second valve portion being positionable adjacent to said valve seat means and being forcibly sealingly abuttable with said sealing means as a result of interior fluid pressure within said expansion chamber, and including a by-pass means defining communication passage means positioned for interior communication with said expansion chamber within said valve means when said valve-actuating member is moved away from said valve seat means beyond a predetermined distance corresponding to said predetermined point, thus allowing the pressurized fluid within the expansion chamber to rescape and thus allowing inlet fluid pressure to force said second valve portion toward said first valve portion.

4. A non-drip valve as defined in claim Z, wherein said self-compensating valve means comprises fluid-pressureexpandable valve means carried by said valve-actuating member in said valve recess between said valve-actuating member and said valve seat means and having a first portion comprising a hollow cylinder portion having one end sealingly carried by said valve-actuating member and extending from said valve-actuating member toward said Valve seat means and having an open terminal end remote from said valve-actuating member and adjacent to said valve seat means, said iluid-pressure-expandable valve means also having a second portion comp-rising an elastomeric circular disk-shaped piston portion telescopically slidably and sealingly mounted within said hollow cylinder portion and defining therewith a hollow interior expansion chamber within said uid-pressure-expandable valve means provided with communication means in cornmunication with said effectively apertured valve seat means, said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion being positionable adjacent to said valve seat means and being forcibly sealingly abuttable with said sealing means as a result of interior uid pressure within said expansion chamber; and including bypass means defining communication passage means positioned for interior communication with said expansion chamber within said valve means when said valve-actuating member is moved away from said valve seat means beyond a predetermined distance, thus allowing the pressurized uid within the expansion chamber to escape and thus allowing inlet fluid pressure to force said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion to be slidably telescopically and sealingly -moved away from said valve seat means toward said valve-actuating member.

5. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 4, wherein the inner surface of said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion sealingly slidably and telescopically mounted within said first valve portion comprising said hollow cylinder portion has a greater surface area exposed to interior fluid pressure when said valve means is in closed relationship to said valve seat means than the area on the opposite side thereof exposed to inlet fluid pressure from and adjacent to said effectively apertured valve seat means.

6. A non-drip valve as defined in claim d, wherein said by-pass means comprises an egress aperture means in said valve-actuating member and a rod mounted within said expansion chamber and extending thereacross toward said valve-actuating member and into said egress aperture means of said valve-actuating member, said rod having a by-pass portion cooperable with said egress aperture means and sealingly extending thereinto when said valveactuating member and said second valve portion are in closed positions, and said lby-pass portions `being spacedly cooperably positioned in open by-passing relationship with respect to said egress aperture means when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in Open positions.

7. A non-drip valve as defined in claim d, wherein said by-pass means comprises an egress aperture means in said valve-actuating member and a rod mounted within said expansion chamber and extending thereacross toward said valve-actuating member and into said egress aperture means of said valve-actuating member, said rod having a by-pass portion cooperable with said egress aperture means and sealingly extending thereinto when said valveactuating member and said second valve portion are in closed positions, and said by-pass portion being spacedly cooperably positioned in open by-passing relationship with respect to said egress aperture means when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in open positions; said communication means comprising an aperture in said second valve portion smaller in effective cross-sectional area than said egress aperture means and communicating said expansion chamber with inlet fluid pressure from and adjacent to said effectively apertured valve seat means.

3. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 4, wherein said by-pass means comprises an egress aperture means in said valve-actuating member and a rod carried by said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion and positioned within said expansion chamber extending thereacross toward said valve-actuating member and into said egress aperture means of said valve-actuating member` said rod having a reduced-size by-pass portion cooperable with said egress aperture means and sealingly extending thereinto when said valve actuating member and said second valve portion are in closed positions, and said reduced-size by-pass portion being spacedly cooperably positioned in open by-passing relationship with respect to said egress aperture means when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in open positions.

9. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 4, wherein said by-pass means comprises an egress aperture means in said valve-actuating member and a rod carried by said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion and positioned within said expansion chamber extending thereacross toward said valve-actuating member and into said egress aperture means of said valve-actuating member, said rod having a reduced-size -by-pass portion coopera-ble with said egress aperture means and sealingly extending thereinto when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in closed positions, and said reduced-size 'oy-pass portion being spacedly cooperably positioned in open by-passing relationship with respect .tovsaid egress aperture means when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in open positions; said communication means comprising an aperture in said second valve portion smaller in effective cross-sectional area than said egress aperture means and communicating said expansion chamber with inlet fluid pressure from and adjacent to said effectively apertured valve seat means.

10. A non-drip valve as defined in claim 4, wherein said by-pass means comprises an egress aperture means in said valve-actuating member and a rod carried by said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion and positioned within said expansion chamber extending thereacross toward said Valve-actuating member and into said egress aperture means of said valve-actuating member, said rod having a reduced-size by-pass portion cooperable with said egress aperture means and sealingly extending thereinto when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in closed positions, and said reduced-size by-pass portion being spacedly cooperably positioned in open by-passing relationship with respect to said egress aperture means when said valve-actuating member and said second valve portion are in open positions; said communication means compising an aperture in said second valve portion and in said rod carried by said second valve portion comprising said elastomeric piston portion and communicating said expansion chamber with inlet uid pressure from and adjacent to said effectively apertured valve seat means, said aperture having an effective cross-sectional area of 13 less than one-half the effective cross-sectional area of said egress aperture means.

11. A non-drip valve as dened in claim 4, wherein said plug lock cylinder is non-integral with respect to said valve-actuating member, and said valve-actuating member and said plug lock cylinder are eiectively provided with coupling means for rotatively locking them together in an effectively unitary manner.

12. A non-drip Valve as defined in claim 11, wherein said coupling means comprises an extended stem portion carried by said valve-actuating member and provided with non-rotative key means adjacent to the end thereof, and further comprises correspondingly keyed female receiving lock cylinder removably and non-rotatively receiving said key means of said extended stem portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,132,315 10/1938 Newell 137-3842 2,565,659 8/ 1951 Kontra 70-140 FOREIGN PATENTS 141,933 4/1920 Great Britain. 897,622 5/ 1962 Great Britain.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

recess means carried at the corresponding end of said plug 15 H. KLINKSIEK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PLUG-LOCK-CYLINDER-OPERATED NON-DRIP VALVE, COMPRISING: A HOLLOW VALVE HOUSING MEANS HAVING INLET MEANS AND OUTLET MEANS CONNECTED THERETO AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INTERIOR CHAMBER THEREIN PROVIDED WITH AND CONTROLLABLY ROTATABLY AND AXIALLY MOVABLY RECEIVING A CONTROLLABLY MOVABLE VALVE-ACTUATING MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY EXTERIORLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION CLOSELY FITTING THE INSIDE OF A CORRESPONDING SIDE WALL PORTION OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INTERIOR CHAMBER, SAID VALVEACTUATING MEMBER BEING EFFECTIVELY PROVIDED WITH A ROTATABLE PLUG LOCK CYLINDER AND NON-ROTATABLE PLUG LOCK CYLINDER HOUSING EFFECTIVELY FIXED TO AND COMPRISING AN EFFECTIVELY UNITARY PART OF SAID VALVE HOUSING MEANS, WITH THE EXTERIOR OF SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER BEING PROVIDED WITH THREADS AND WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER HOUSING BEING PROVIDED WITH MATING THREADS THREADEDLY COOPERABLE FOR INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY ADVANCING AND RETRACTING SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER AND SAID MOVABLE VALVEACTUATING MEMBER IN RESPONSE TO RELATIVE ROTATION OF PLUG LOCK CYLINDER WITHIN SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER HOUSING IN A CORRESPONDING ADVANCEMENT ROTATIONAL DIRECTION OR RETRACTION ROTATIONAL DIRECTION, SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER BEING PROVIDED WITH NORMALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDED LOCK TUMBLER MEANS, AND SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER HOUSING BEING INTERIORLY PROVIDED WITH CORRESPONDINGLY POSITIONED LOCKTUMBLER-RECEIVING LOCKING SLOT MEANS NORMALLY ADPATED TO RECEIVE SAID TUMBLER MEANS WHEN NORMALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDED FROM SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER IN A MANNER LOCKING SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER AGAINST ROTATION, SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER BEING EFFECTIVELY PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR USE IN CAUSING THE EFFECTIVE RETRACTION OF SAID LOCK TUMBLER MEANS FROM SAID EXTENDED RELATIONSHIP THEREOF WHEREBY TO ROTATIVELY FREE SAID PLUG LOCK CYLINDER; EFFECTIVELY APERTURED VALVE SEAT MEANS POSITIONED IN SPACED OPPOSITION TO SAID 